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The Luperci
Mythic History of the Luperci Far from the otherworld of the Isle of the Mighty, there existed the otherworld of Olympus. Before the end of the Iron Age, there was no interaction between them. However, when the Romans marched across Europe, conquering nations and infusing new religion from old, the otherworld warped and changed as well. Also called the Lykaons in greek, the luperci were a shapeshifting breed much like the Bleid-ddyn and capable of interbreeding with them. King Lykaon of Arcadia was the son of the autochthon Pelasgus. The autchthons were a fae race more favored by the gods than humans at the time, but Lykaon brought the wrath of Zeus down upon his family by taking Zeus' own godblooded son Arcas and killing him and attempting to serve his meat to Zeus at a feast. Zeus turned Lykaon into the first werewolf as well as cursing of his progeny including his own son Nyctimus, who was beloved by both Poseidon and Dianna. Nyctimus was taken from Arcadia by to Lake Nemi to serve as the guardian of Dianna's temple there. She did not allow him to share himself with any human woman, but only a she-wolf (who was actually Dianna herself in disguise) that gave birth to three cubs: Lupercus and his sisters Lupa and Lycisca. They in turn engendered the luperci race, the werewolves that spread throughout the Lake Nemi region and up through Tuscany. Lupa suckled the demigods Romulus and Remus c. 751 BC. The early Romans venerated the luperci and in turn, the luperci of Rome bred heavily with the bloodlines that became the great Roman generals and caesars. They were a passionate, war-loving people. In most of Italy except Lake Nemi itself, the luperci became more human with each passing generation so that by the time of Julius Caesar (100 BC) most lost their actual beastial form and appeared in most ways to be normal humans. The Luperci of Lake Nemi At Lake Nemi, however, the luperci did not breed with humans, only otherworld creatures, demigods, each other, and wolves. The Rex Nemorsis was ritually killed by his successor every seven to ten years. When the Imergium of Man began, the luperci went into seclusion and rarely revealed themselves, continuing to guard the temple and the lake. The Coming of Aradia In 1313 AD, one of the last priestesses of the Old Religion successfully completed the Great Rite by invoking Helios and giving birth to a daughter, Aradia. She died at Aradia's birth but the girl was raised and mentored by her sister. When Aradia came of age, she became La Bella Pellagrina, the beautiful pilgrim. She preached against the Church and the excesses of the landed nobility and recruited followers in the Lake Nemi region. She sought the Temple of Diana and was challenged by the current King of the Grove, Veluchi. She overcame the tests he laid for her and then completed the Great Rite with him, taking him as her consort. She stayed at the temple and gave birth to a son and daughter. Forewarned that soldiers of the Pope were going to be hunting for her, Aradia gave her children to the luperci to protect and fled the area. She was eventually caught and killed in 1346 AD. Her son 18 year old son Veluchi became the new Rex Nemorsis in 1353. *The Veluchi (1353-1750) *Jewellian & Diangeuaw *The Veluchi in Britain *Storm Delucian